Crab Rangoon Dip

One time when I was in high school, a lady from our church brought a crab Rangoon dip to an event. It was beautifully white and creamy with red sweet and sour sauce on top, and I remember being blown away that she made chips with egg roll wrappers. Brilliant.

I love crab rangoons, and lovingly refer to them at times as crab raccoons, much to my husband's annoyance. A Chinese meal would just not be complete without them. Over the years, I have made the traditional pinwheel shaped rangoons at home many times, but one thing I love about this dip is that is takes out a lot of the work. You don't have to fill and fold the wraps just right and then fry them in greasy oil that sometimes leave more of a mess than I really want to deal with. Actually, this recipe is probalby much healthier for you too since the components are baked instead of fried.

I could not decide if I should cut the wraps into strips or triangles, so I made about half and half. By the end of the evening, all of the strips were gone. They seemed to be easier to dip than the triangles, but feel free to make which ever ones you like.

Crab Rangoon Dip

For the chips:
1 package wonton or egg roll wraps
vegetable or canola oil

For the dip:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 to 6 oz. canned crab or imitation crab, finely chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce
green onions, to garnish

1. To make the chips, preheat the oven to 425°. Cut the wonton wraps into 1 inch strips or small triangles. Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil, then lay the strips or triangles out on the sheet. Lightly brush more vegetable oil on the strips, just so that they are not dry. Bake in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Watch them closely because they brown quickly. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining wraps, brushing the baking sheet with more oil as necessary. When all of the chips are baked, reduce the oven to 350°.

Note: The chips keep well in an air tight container and can be made ahead of time.

2. To make the dip, combine in a medium bowl all the dip ingredients except for the sweet chili sauce. Stir well to combine. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Spread the mixture in a shallow baking dish, such as a pie plate.

3. Evenly spread the sweet chili sauce over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the dip is warm and bubbly. Garnish with more sliced green onions, and serve with the wonton chips. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from mommiecooks.